Information on Estuarine Striped Bass Amendment 2

For the recreational fishery:

• An open recreational harvest season in 2026 upriver of the large-mesh distance from shore demarcation lines in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers and associated tributaries from April 1–30
• A one fish per person per day recreational creel limit
• An 18–22” total length recreational harvest slot, or >27” total length (15A NCAC 03Q .0107)

For the commercial fishery:

• An open commercial harvest season in 2026 upriver of the large-mesh distance from shore demarcation lines in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers and associated tributaries from April 1-30
• A one fish per day trip limit
• An 18-22” total length harvest slot, or >27” total length
• Allow hook-and-line as a legal commercial gear in the striped bass fishery (consistent with Amendment 2)
• Continue commercial tagging requirements
• Maintain tie-down and distance from shore requirements for gill nets

There are two estuarine striped bass management units and four stocks in North Carolina. The Northern Management Unit includes the Albemarle Sound Management Area (ASMA) and Roanoke River Management Area (RRMA). The striped bass stock in these management areas is the Albemarle-Roanoke (A-R) stock. The A-R stock is also included in the management unit of Amendment 7 to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Interstate FMP for Atlantic Striped Bass. The Southern Management Unit is the Central/Southern Management Area (CSMA) and includes the Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear rivers stocks.

CSMA Stock Status

Stock status of the CSMA striped bass is unknown, no stock status determination has been performed, and no biological reference points have been generated. The CSMA Estuarine Striped Bass Stocks report, completed in 2020, is a collection of 1) all available data, 2) all management effort, and 3) all major analyses that have been completed for CSMA stocks; this report served as an aid in development of Amendment 2. While this report does not determine stock status, it does indicate sustainability of Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers stocks is unlikely at any level of fishing mortality, citing the lack of natural recruitment as the primary limiting factor. The report concludes that without stocking, abundance will decline. 

Supplement A to Amendment 1

At the November 2018 MFC business meeting, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recommended development of temporary management measures to supplement the N.C. Estuarine Striped Bass FMP Amendment 1 providing for a no-possession provision for striped bass in the internal coastal and joint waters of the CSMA to protect important year classes of striped bass while Amendment 2 to the FMP was developed. This supplement, Supplement A, was adopted by the MFC at their February 2019 business meeting and by the WRC in March 2019. Supplement actions were implemented March 29, 2019, consisting of the following:

• Commercial and recreational no possession measure for striped bass (including hybrids) in coastal and inland fishing waters of the CSMA (Proclamation FF-6-2019). The WRC hook and line closure proclamation had the effect of suspending rules 15A NCAC 10C .0107 (I) and 10C .0314 (g). A no-possession requirement already exists in the Cape Fear River by rule.
• Consistent with Amendment 1, commercial anchored gill-net restrictions requiring tie-downs and distance from shore measures will apply year-round.

Amendment 2

Amendment 2 to the N.C. Estuarine Striped Bass FMP was adopted by the MFC at its November 2022 business meeting. The amendment included the no-possession measure for the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers stocks that was included in Supplement A. Amendment 2 also maintained the gill net closure above the ferry lines and the use of 3-foot tie-downs for gill nets below the ferry lines. The draft of Amendment 2 presented to the MFC at their February 2022 business meeting included discussion of the ferry line gill net closures and options that would have provided limited access for the gill net fishery above the ferry lines while continuing to minimize striped bass discards. However, at that meeting, the MFC approved a motion to send the draft Estuarine Striped Bass FMP Amendment 2 for review by the public and advisory committees with the change of deleting these options. Therefore, the only option considered by the public, Advisory Committees, and MFC related to the ferry line gill net closure in Amendment 2 was to maintain it.   

Amendment 2 included two measures for the Tar-Pamlico, and Neuse rivers stocks that require reconsideration after 2024. First, the adaptive management framework prescribes that in 2025, data through 2024 will be reviewed “to determine if populations are self-sustaining and if sustainable harvest can be determined”. 

Adaptive Management

Adaptive management allows managers to adjust management measures based on new information or data. Management options which are selected during FMP adoption account for the most up to date data on biological and environmental factors which affect the stock. Data through 2024 were reviewed in early 2025 to determine the impact of the 2019 no-possession provision on the stocks. 

If the data review suggests continuing the no-possession provision is needed for stock recovery, no changes in harvest management measures will be recommended until the next FMP Amendment is developed. Adaptive management may be used to adjust management measures including area, time, and gear restrictions if it is determined additional protections for the stocks are needed. 

If analysis indicates the populations are self-sustaining and a level of sustainable harvest can be determined, recommendations for harvest strategies will be developed. Conversely, if analysis indicates biological and/or environmental factors prevent a self-sustaining population, then, consistent with the goal of Amendment 2, alternate management strategies will be developed that provide protection for and access to the resource.

Methods

Several data sets were updated with data from 2024 and analyzed to assess the impact of the 2019 no-possession provision on the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers stocks. Analysis included evaluation of adult abundance, age structure, natural recruitment, hatchery contribution, and tagging information. The analysis also considered environmental conditions (e.g., river flow), changes to stocking strategies, and new life history information. Details of complete data analysis and results can be found in “Analysis of Striped Bass Fishery-Independent and Fishery-Dependent Data from the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse Rivers for Purposes of Amendment 2 Adaptive Management”.  

Summary of Results

• No ‘wild’ juveniles have been caught in the Tar-Pamlico or Neuse rivers since two individuals were caught in 2021
• From 2019–2024 the percentage of hatchery striped bass on the spawning grounds of the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers has increased to nearly 100%
• From 2019–2024 the percentage of hatchery origin striped bass in the lower Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers has been variable ranging from <50% to >90%
• Abundance of all age classes in the lower rivers is significantly lower after the harvest and gill net closures
• Abundance of all age classes on the spawning grounds did not increase significantly after the harvest and gill net closures
• Acoustic telemetry and genetic data suggest there are three groups of striped bass in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers. Most of the fish are hatchery reared stocked fish, followed by ‘wild’ fish originating from the Albemarle-Roanoke, with a small portion of ‘wild’ fish originating from the spawning ground on the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers

Conclusions

• Harvest closure and gill net closure have been ineffective at increasing adult abundance, expanding the age structure, and promoting recruitment
• The Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers striped bass stocks are currently not sustainable
• Factors other than fishing mortality and inadequate spawning abundance are preventing sustainability of the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers striped bass stocks
• Acoustic and conventional tagging data indicate most ‘wild’ fish in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers are likely part of the Albemarle-Roanoke stock
• Environmental factors and declines in the Albemarle-Roanoke stock have contributed to reduced striped bass abundance in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers

Based on data from the DMF and WRC fishery-independent and dependent sampling programs reviewed through 2024, the striped bass populations in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers are currently not self-sustaining. Evaluation of the harvest and gill net closures shows these measures have been ineffective at increasing adult abundance, expanding the age structure, and promoting natural recruitment through year six of implementation. Striped bass have been shown to quickly rebound even at low population levels given favorable environmental conditions (Robitaille et al. 2011; DFO 2023), suggesting factors other than fishing mortality and inadequate spawner abundance are preventing successful reproduction and self-sustaining striped bass populations in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers. Additional management aimed at trying to achieve sustainability of these stocks is unlikely to be effective unless significant environmental improvements occur.